While the first military application of a helicopter took place in 1942, when the German Kriegsmarine began to use Flettner FL-282s as anti-submarine warfare platforms, the helicopter truly came of age as a battlefield weapon during the Vietnam War. Unlike the Second World War, which saw many battles in or near heavily urbanized areas, with easy access, the war in Vietnam was one of often remote jungle battles.Men could slog through the dense terrain, but it was a grueling process, and with few exceptions, vehicles would simply not be able to navigate many of the engagement zones. Enter the helicopter.

Able to transport ground troops, heavy equipment, and even provide fire support to even the remotest of the hinterlands, helicopters changed the nature of ground conflict. Now, hunters from the sky did not have to be dropped from huge aircraft, scattered all over the countryside, but instead could be inserted precisely where they were needed. Likewise, if need be they could be extracted just as easily.

Air Assault Task Force by ProSIM Company firmly places you in the boots and saddles of the air cavalry, commanding forces across decades of helicopter operations. From battling Charlie in Vietnam, to skinnies in Somalia, to Islamfascism in Afghanistan, Air Assault Task Force covers the spectrum of heliborne operations of recent times.

ProSIM is already known for their ultra-realistic modern "command-time" simulations (so known that they are used as a basis for real-world training sims!), and Air Assault Task Force continues the fine tradition as an evolution of past projects. Raising the bar even higher for how a real-time strategy game can actually have real strategy and not just a lot of mouse clicking, Air Assault Task Force is a highly playable, highly realistic simulation of the vertical battlefield.

More than just helicopters, players will coordinate infantry, artillery, armor, attack aviation, and more using equipment databases of utmost accuracy and detail. These forces are commanded in real-time, using a traditional "select-unit, select-order" paradigm, that allow users to quickly jump into the action on digital elevation maps that accurately mimic the real terrain the battles were fought over. Unlike most wargames with hexes, and the abstractions that brings, Air Assault Task Force maps make the player think like a real commander would, and not as a gamer.

Of course ultimately Air Assault Task Force is a game, and ProSIM has once again crafted a computer opponent that will mercilessly hammer the unprepared. When you're ready for another challenge you can move on to playing other live opponents, or craft your own scenarios. Owners of any (or all) of the ATF family of games will also be thrilled to know that Air Assault Task Force is fully compatible with previous titles, meaning that you could load up a scenario from The Falklands War: 1982 and have it instantly upgraded to the new standards that Air Assault Task Force brings!

Helicopters changed the way war was fought, and so what better way to herald in the new era of the most realistic commercial modern warfare simulations from ProSIM Company than by introducing the airmobile with Air Assault Task Force! So check your fields of fire, blast a little Wagner, and come in fast, 'cos this LZ is hot!

FEATURES:

- Evolving from the acclaimed ATF engine, Air Assault Task Force is a completely new engine, continuing the ProSIM Company tradition of stunningly realistic modern wargame simulations on your desktop PC.

- "Command-time" play. Forces are commanded in pause-able real-time, using a familiar "select-unit, select-order" system (previous titles used a select-order, select-unit system).

- Brand new graphics using the latest in DirectX technology, in which form and feature combine to provide users with eye-pleasing, but completely functional, graphics. Play in a Window or full-screen, with supported resolutions of 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x800, and 1280x1024.

- Three full campaigns with four scenarios each (with scenarios playable in any order if so desired) in Vietnam, Somalia, and Afghanistan. Additionally, there are two "mini-campaign" scenarios set in the JRTC, which are also found in the demo.

- Improved UI means less time fighting the interface and more time fighting the enemy!

- Already superb, the ProSIM AI has been enhanced with elements such as revised targeting algorithms, making the Air Assault Task Force enemy the toughest yet encountered.

- Detailed real-world databases of the forces portrayed, along with some of the most accurate (if not the) game maps of real geography. Unlike other games where you're fighting over terrain that some artist thinks what the battlefield looked like, with Air Assault Task Force you're truly fighting on the terrain.

- Full-featured scenario editing allows users to create their own missions and pass them along to their friends.

- Multi-player capability for playing against other human opponents.

- Full backwards compatibility. Unlike other wargame series with ProSIM your older titles are never rendered obsolete by the latest and greatest. If you own earlier ATF titles Air Assault Task Force will upgrade those scenarios to its standards. It's like experiencing those games for the very first time, again!

- All improvements to the system from the earlier ATF titles are present. Individual buildings, improved munitions modeling, variable weather, et cetera can be found in Air Assault Task Force.